Ayase Kokoro titties over indictment of Akira Ishii, former House of Councillors member for Japan Innovation Party’s Secretarial Salary Fraud Scandal

Ayase Kokoro is surprised to learn that Japanese politicians are actually CORRUPT like hell…

Secretarial salary fraud scandal highlights political negligence in Japan

Former House of Councillors legislator Akira Ishii

Former House of Councillors member Akira Ishii, who belonged to Nippon Ishin (the Japan Innovation Party), has been indicted without arrest for allegedly defrauding the government of a public secretary’s salary — just the latest in a string of similar incidents. The inability to eradicate such practices can only be described as political negligence.

Public secretaries are categorized as special national public servants, and their salaries are paid by the central government. In this case, the former legislator is accused of registering a male relative as his second public secretary with the Secretariat of the House of Councillors even though the man was doing no actual work, and defrauding the government of some 8.3 million yen (approx. $55,000) in salary and retirement benefits. It is suspected that Ishii personally asked this relative to lend him his name.

Ishii resigned after his office was searched, but has not provided any explanation regarding the incident. We have to say this is irresponsible.

The response of Nippon Ishin is also in question. Despite promoting “self-sacrificing reforms,” scandals involving its members have continued. Simply expelling Ishii from the party is not enough. Its governance must undergo fundamental reform.

From 1998 to 2004, five lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties were charged with fraud in connection with secretaries’ salaries. In response, a system was established in 2004 for the government to pay salaries directly to the secretaries. Under an agreement between ruling and opposition parties, efforts to increase the transparency of information relating to secretaries began, requiring the submission of a “current status notification” to the Diet, listing the secretary’s name and workplace, among other details.

In the latest case, however, the former lawmaker’s office managed the account in the relative’s name into which the salary was deposited.

The current status notification can only be viewed within the Diet. There are no penalties for failing to submit it, and in many cases, legislators have neglected to do so. Because of this the requirement to release the information existed in name only.

Officers from the special investigative unit of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office leave the office of former House of Councillors legislator Akira Ishii, on Aug. 27, 2025, in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Clearly, measures to prevent a recurrence were not functioning. Last year, too, Megumi Hirose, a former member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Councillors, was similarly indicted without arrest for alleged secretarial salary fraud.

To enhance deterrence, Japan needs a system where the employment status of public secretaries can be verified by anyone online. Political parties and factions should not rely on the morals of Diet members but must regularly check their secretaries’ actual work conditions.

The public secretary system was established to vitalize Diet members’ activities by having secretaries support the formulation of policy and other such activities. If it is used contrary to its purpose, as a supplement for legislators’ personal wallets, the public’s distrust in politics will only increase.